Evolution
by MetalPrincess13
Summary: Some relationships come easily, others have to go through trials and tribulations before they even begin. A quiet night causes Ash to ponder the way his relationship with Gary has evolved over the years. Palletshipping five-piece. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Evolution**

Summary: Some relationships come easily, others have to go through trials and tribulations before they even begin. A quiet night causes Ash to ponder the way his relationship with Gary has evolved over the years. Palletshipping five-piece.

Disclaimer – I own the storyline, my interpretation of the characters, and nothing else.

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**Kanto - Mutation**

A soft sigh caused me to glance up from the television to peer curiously at the source of the frustrated sound. As usual, Gary was busy typing away on his laptop, working on some sort of research that went straight over my head whenever he tried to explain it to me. I had been having a difficult time not watching him until a pokemon battle came on tv; it was hard to not be infatuated with the way his long fingers gracefully flew across the keyboard or the way the light from the screen lit up his face, reflecting alluringly off of his eyes. Of course, those brown eyes were currently narrowed as they scanned whatever was on the screen. Gary frowned slightly and shook his hair out of his face, causing me to smile; that action was always adorable, no matter how irritated he was when he did it.

"Bored?" I asked, partially hoping that he would agree, put up the computer, and join me on the couch so that I could watch the match on tv with his sarcastic commentary.

"Incredibly," he replied dryly, once more continuing his incessant typing.

Nights like this, though infrequent, had become one of the banes of my existence. Other banes included pretending that we were no more than friends when family visited and doing chores. Of course, these were all parts of life, as well as a part of being in a relationship. Because of this, I had learned to deal with it, no matter how much I disliked it. It was just that nights like this made Gary uncomfortably serious and made me miss him even though we were in the same room. Missing him often made me think back to the way things had begun to evolve from a simple friendship to the serious relationship we now had.

It all started with a kiss, which I suppose is the way many relationships begin. It was at a holiday party at Professor Oak's house, induced by the unfortunate placement of a sprig of mistletoe that I was still certain had been placed there intentionally by his sister; after all, anything out of the norm in Pallet Town had to have been influenced by the mischievous May Oak. But I digress, I was fifteen at the time while Gary had turned sixteen perhaps two months earlier with our rivalry put aside well over a year earlier. Gary's presence, though expected, was oddly surprising and I have to admit that I still can't figure out how he managed to make simple jeans and a t-shirt look so attractive.

The adults had only been out of the room for a minute but that was all the time May had needed to set up the event that ultimately led to myself and her brother hooking up. Gary hadn't realized that I had shown up yet and had been "hiding out" in his bedroom, as May put it, though I was sure he had only lost track of time while reading. She had ran upstairs to get him, telling me to stay in the doorway that led into the living room, which was exactly where she had hung the lone piece of mistletoe. Being happy to see each other, neither Gary nor I had noticed that stupid decoration until May pointed it out and even then, we had jumped out from beneath it the second she did so. For what felt like an eternity but couldn't have been more than a moment, Gary and May seemed to have some sort of nonverbal argument before he gave in.

To this day, I still don't know what I was expecting – perhaps a quick peck on the cheek followed by some sarcastic comment or even a playful kiss followed by an unfazed smirk. What I didn't expect was for Gary to gently cup my cheek in one hand and press his lips against mine before pulling away after a second of hesitation. There was some uncertainty in his eyes as he gazed at me afterwards: a strange gleam that indicated a jumble of mixed emotions – confusion and perhaps some pain. Somewhere in the depths of those dark orbs was something that told me he wasn't unhappy about having to kiss me but the way his eyes narrowed slightly said that he wasn't entirely thrilled either. I still don't know if he had wanted to do that for some time before it had happened or if he did it to placate May and then realized that it was what he had wanted all along without realizing it.

Gary shook his head slightly and grinned, making some smartass remark that made me laugh at the time. It somehow relaxed both of us enough to forget about that kiss for a little while so that we could go about our business at the party as if nothing was wrong.

Of course, that kiss had stayed in my mind throughout the entire party and straight through the night to the next day. It had been intoxicating – the most wonderful five seconds of my life, up until that point in my life, at least. His lips had been softer than I expected, parting slightly as he did the taboo deed while mine stayed closed until he pulled away; that was when my jaw dropped in shock. Thinking back, that's probably what made him smile in the first place.

Up until that point, I hadn't even realized that he was what I wanted, or rather, _who_ I wanted. I had been so caught up in training back then that I never thought about companions of that sort; I had met so many girls and never felt fazed by them and I had met so many guys and never felt fazed by them. And then there was Gary, who had just turned that entire part of my life up-side-down and had somehow switched on the part of my brain that dealt with attraction and sex and… all of that stuff. I had felt so confused about it the next day that I hardly ate, which, of course, alerted my mother to the whole situation.

She had asked me what was wrong and I admitted that I had kissed someone under the mistletoe and that I now felt weird about it. Mom was the one to guess Gary, how or why she came to that conclusion was something I had never asked about. I suppose my reaction to that guess was all the confirmation she needed because she smiled and hugged me, telling me that she would support me in anything and that I could tell her anything, anytime. She still supports my relationship with Gary, even though I'm not entirely sure he even realizes that she knows about it. Everyone knows about it except for Professor Oak, though I'm sure he has some assumptions that our relationship isn't really platonic. I would tell him the truth but Gary… Well, let's just say that the word "gay" is highly taboo and is never uttered. It's one place where his confidence fails him unless he's around me.

Again, I digress. Mom's talk was really all the encouragement I needed at the time, so I headed over to the Oak house after lunch with Pikachu happily perched on my shoulder. Once reaching the house, May directed me up to Gary's room where he was, and I quote, "being a lazy pain in the ass." I found him lying on his bed, listening to music as he read a book with his Umbreon curled up at the foot of the bed. He glanced up in surprise when I came in, his eyes never leaving mine even when Umbreon awoke and climbed off of the bed to greet Pikachu.

This time I was the one to make the first move, crossing the room in a few quick strides to grasp his chin and kiss him with a vigor that shocked me to the core. All the while, I had no idea what I was doing; it was only my second kiss ever and here I was trying to dominate my friend and former rival in a battle of tongues and lips. My lips were a bit moist when we pulled away and we were both panting from the unexpected experience, Gary was slightly flushed and I can only assume that I was as well. Neither of us knew what we were doing, we were just following our instincts, but even the most primitive instincts leave you abandoned when you come back to your senses and that was exactly what happened.

"That was… interesting," Gary said softly once I had taken a few steps back to let us both recover and to also judge his reaction. I could only nod in response. "What does this mean, Ash?" His voice gave away little more than the uncertainty that was obvious in his gaze.

"Whatever you want it to," I heard myself say. I had no control over my words.

His gaze drifted to the dark blanket on his bed before snapping back up to meet my own. "Why… What made you do that?" he asked cautiously. At one point in time, I would have been thrilled to see him so confused and flustered but this was different.

"I like you," I replied, once more in no control of my vocal chords. Gary's face was impassive and I had no idea what he was thinking at the time. I'm certain he was surprised at the way I said it so easily and so confidently but then again, maybe not – I always was the rash one out of the two of us. He was always the reserved one who thought things out while I acted on gut instinct and adrenaline; truthfully, an interesting combination for a couple. "I never thought about it, maybe I didn't even notice until last night but that's the truth." I paused for a moment, unsure of what to do next. "Why did you kiss me last night?" was the first thing that popped into my head and, consequently, out of my mouth.

"Same reason." It was the simplest explanation anyone could ask for and I accepted it eagerly.

"Where do we go from here?" Apprehension was finally beginning to creep into my voice; this decision would undeniably affect our friendship. Ignoring what had happened last night and today would make things awkward and would have negative consequences for us. Pursuing something with Gary could also have negative consequences but there was still that chance that things would be okay. Either way, things would change no matter what.

Gary sighed quietly and shook his head. "Ash, I'm leaving to return to Sayda Island in a week. I don't even know when I'll be back in Pallet."

"And I'm going to be competing in the Battle Frontier. I guess we won't really be seeing each other, huh?"

"Guess not. Maybe we should just see where things go?" Gary suggested after a short pause.

I agreed quickly as this seemed to be the best decision that we could possibly reach at the time but I still held a secret wish for us to do more than simply see where things went. That was good for the time but times change constantly, sometimes drastically.

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A/N – This story is already mostly done, the rest of the chapters just need some fine tuning and should be up within a few days of each other. This is my first attempt at Palletshipping, so please let me know what you think. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Evolution**

Summary: Some relationships come easily, others have to go through trials and tribulations before they even begin. A quiet night causes Ash to ponder the way his relationship with Gary has evolved over the years. Palletshipping five-piece.

Disclaimer – I own the storyline, my interpretation of the characters, and nothing else.

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**Sinnoh - Drift**

True to his word, Gary stayed in Pallet for only a week longer; we spent most of that week hanging out with Tracey around the lab and we had a rather enjoyable time. Things were not nearly as uncomfortable as I thought they would be and he even kissed me good bye. Granted, it was a quick peck on the cheek but a kiss was a kiss.

We kept in touch through email for a few months before falling out of touch as Gary began working on research in the Sinnoh region. I found out about Sinnoh through Professor Oak, which saddened me even though he came with a postcard from Gary – I had hoped to hear from him personally rather than through his grandfather. Communication was scarce for awhile until I received an email simply saying that he was home in Pallet for awhile and hoped that he would get a chance to see me at some point before he left again. Part of me had wanted to go straight home for a day or two to visit but the Battle Frontier was approaching far too quickly to allow it and I couldn't go home until after it was over.

When I first ran into Gary, he acted as though nothing had ever changed from when we battled back in the Silver Conference, leaving me confused and a bit hurt even after our battle with Electivire and Pikachu. It wasn't until after our battle had been over for perhaps an hour that he approached me, wrapping an arm around me from behind and pressing a sudden kiss against my cheek, causing me to emit a surprised squeal that made me grateful we were alone. Turning in his arms, I had hugged him heartily, pressing my own kisses against his cheeks in my giddiness. I pulled away and took the chance to truly see him for the first time in over eight months. His hair was shorter than it had been last time and it made him look more mature than ever, though that may have had something to do with his rapidly approaching seventeenth-birthday. His clothes stood out for some reason, they fit snugly enough to be irritatingly sexy but loose enough to fit comfortably and properly – they drove me insane because Gary looked so good in them. Then again, he always looked good and I'm certain he knew that.

It was his eyes that really caught my attention, though. They were brighter than I could recall seeing them and he looked genuinely happy, so much more so than I had seen him in a couple of years. This confused me and something must have shown on my face because Gary smiled slightly and tilted his head to one side as though he were amused. A moment passed before I grew tired of this confusing silence and asked what he was so happy about, eliciting a laugh and a genuine grin from my companion.

"I left a lot out of those emails, Ashy," he replied easily, removing his arms from my frame and beginning to walk away from me.

I quickly followed him and we fell into stride with each other as we languidly crossed the fields of his grandfather's ranch. "What does that mean?" I asked curiously, blushing slightly at the old nickname he had used.

He gave a small shrug and shot me a sly glance that was accompanied by a smirk. "Let's just say I did some things that I seriously doubt my grandfather would approve of." I asked what he meant, earning only a dismissive wave of the hand as he replied almost indifferently. "Just the usual teenage stuff – you know, finding yourself and all of that shit."

The glance he gave me after that comment made me realize what he meant and it made me freeze for a moment. Experimenting; that was what he meant. The thought of him with another person in an intimate setting was enough to make me angry but I didn't show it. After all, we had decided to see where things went, that didn't mean we were tied down to each other. Perhaps that was why Gary had decided to simply play this wait-and-see sort of game. I dimly noticed that we had entered a forested area of the ranch that was rather distant from the lab and the house but didn't think much of it as I asked what he had find out about himself.

He didn't answer verbally; instead, he grinned mischievously and pushed me against a tree suddenly. Before I knew what was happening, his mouth was on mine, lips expertly working mine, tongue teasingly brushing against my lower lip. He knew what he was doing now and I was still clueless; I was hurt by this fact for only a moment before I was swept away by the feeling of one of his hands sliding into my hair while the other rested at the back of my neck. Enjoying the closeness, I sighed softly and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue in my mouth. A second later, I was moaning into the kiss as his tongue curled around mine. The hand that was at the back of my neck slowly moved to my shoulder and then to my chest before trailing down my side to rest on my hip.

We kept kissing for several minutes before pulling away with matching grins, there was no doubt that we had equally enjoyed my first makeout session. Of course, I still wanted more and I got more of those kisses over the next few days as our sessions grew more and more heated when we managed to get time to ourselves. One afternoon found us on my bed, Gary beneath me as my mouth worked his neck, eliciting soft groans that made my stomach knot in excitement. My hand had slipped beneath his shirt and was resting on his stomach while his hands slowly undid my belt and removed it before working on my jeans. Surprised, I pulled away and Gary gave me an apologetic smile as if he knew that he had moved too fast for whatever type of relationship this was. After all, I wasn't like those little experimental "flings" he'd had in Sinnoh while I had been participating in the Battle Frontier. I was his best friend, the closest he had to a boyfriend.

I reminded him of this and he nodded solemnly. The response was so serious that I knew something was up and I had to ask what was going on.

"I'm leaving for Sinnoh tomorrow night, Ash," Gary replied quietly.

I wasn't sure how to react to this sudden revelation but I settled on anger, which was the emotion that had flowed through me after the initial shock wore off. I was hurt that he hadn't told me this sooner and because of that, I was angry. He shouldn't have been able to hurt me by leaving; Gary always left and I always left as well – it was just the way the world worked and it shouldn't have hurt but it did. We settled on keeping in touch through email once more, though Gary warned me that he might not be able to send me messages for long lengths of time while he was out in the field. He suggested that I head to Sinnoh for the next leg of my own journey, claiming that it was a tough league that I would enjoy competing in. Of course, I listened to him and followed him to the northern region with Brock at my side only a few days later.

Things remained scarce between us but the addition of a new traveling companion kept me from being too saddened by the lapses in communication. Dawn became something of a little sister to me and helping her train tended to distract me from thoughts of Gary, until we ran into each other that is. We first ran into Gary about two months into the journey and I was ecstatic to see him but in the end I was disappointed because we hardly got a chance to talk, much less have a moment to ourselves. The crush that I suspected Dawn to have on him didn't help matters much, neither did Brock's suspicions when I was quiet that night after we went our separate ways. I went home two months later for the holidays with the hopes of running into him, but to no avail; he probably would have told me that he was staying in Sinnoh through the winter but emails had turned into a rather rare treat. They were so rare that I almost treated them as legendary pokemon sightings – something to be treasured, which goes to show how much I missed him.

Another three months passed with perhaps two short emails before I saw him again and once more it was a short run in. I knew back then, as I well as I do now, that he helped me with Gligar because he likes working with pokemon in general but I had put aside my ability to think and merely assumed he only did it to get back into my good graces after failing to talk to me for nearly five months. Though I was happy to see him, his appearance had angered me after everything was said and done. Once more, he was the same Gary from years before; only a bit nicer and quieter. He offered no explanation on that irritating lack of communication, he didn't kiss me, he didn't hug me, and he didn't act acknowledge the chemistry that we both knew was between us.

It infuriated me. I was happy and hopeful the entire time Gary was there but after he had left and been gone for several hours, I was furious that he had practically ignored me. Of course, deep down, I knew that he hadn't ignored me and I somehow sensed that he was just as frustrated as me but I was only seventeen at the time – I was a teenager and it was my god-given right to be angsty and pissed off.

It was Christmas time when I saw him again; exactly two years since it had begun with May's mistletoe stunt. Halfway through my travels in Sinnoh, I stopped home and found myself staring up into his eyes when the front door of the Oak house swung open. I simply stared up at Gary in surprise, my brain almost failing to recognize him as I took in his newest appearance; he had changed a surprising amount in a few months, aside from passing his eighteenth birthday and formally becoming an adult. His hair was longer than I could ever remember it being, hanging messily in his face in a way that was casually sexy. A pair of baggy, torn jeans rested low on his hips and he wore a black hooded sweatshirt – and, again, I wondered how he could make something so simple look so attractive. He looked like a college student and it fit him eerily well.

Dawn and Brock, who had come along with me, were led deeper into the house by Tracey while Gary and I stayed in the foyer. Still reeling from the unexpected changes, I couldn't stop myself from continuously looking him over until he laughed softly and tilted his head to one side, as he always did when he was amused.

"Nice hair," I finally said, eliciting another laugh from Gary.

"Grandpa hates it," he replied, crossing his arms casually as he leaned against the wall behind him. I shook my head with a slight roll of the eyes – of course the professor wouldn't like it; that was probably why Gary had done it in the first place. When I mentioned that fact, Gary simply smiled. "I've been on the road for months, Ash; you don't exactly get a lot of chances to cut your hair when you're too busy studying pokemon. The fact that it annoys Grandpa is the main reason why it's been like this for the past month since I got home."

The fact that he had been home for a month surprised me and, when asked about it, Gary hedged around the question, simply claiming that he was taking a break. I didn't press the issue because Professor Oak chose that moment to come into the foyer and usher us into the living room with everyone else. A few hours passed and Gary eventually invited me up to his room when he saw how bored I had become with sitting around chatting. His lips were on mine the second that bedroom door closed behind us, crushing against me fervently in a way that literally sucked the breath from me; unsurprisingly, I responded just as eagerly.

It had been over a year since we had kissed and every bit of pent-up anxiety and frustration came pouring out of me as my fingers tangled in that dark hair. I was in Heaven, albeit a steamy one with the way we were kissing and pressing our bodies together, for several moments. That high didn't go away until I slipped my hand under that sweatshirt to run my fingers over what I knew to be a flat stomach, only to feel a series of long and thin raised sections of skin. Pulling away in confusion at Gary's soft gasp of surprise, I moved the shirt up slightly to find several scars. He brushed off my concern, telling me not to worry, and distracted me from any further questions by trailing teasing kisses along my collarbone – my shirt had found its way to the floor by that point.

My worry never left entirely but it was pushed to the furthest corner of my mind as our clothes slowly joined my shirt on the floor. Considering we weren't dating and had only had a few makeout sessions between us over the course of two years, I probably should have felt a bit apprehensive, especially when Gary's hands started running over the most sensitive parts of my body, but I never felt that particular emotion. Apprehension was far from my mind. I was admittedly a bit nervous but it was a good kind of nerves, ones that were easily soothed by surprisingly gentle kisses while I winced in pain at that initial penetration. Afterwards, I folded myself into a tight embrace that simply felt _right_. Gary's hands continued to run over my body in gentle, almost loving motions that made me want to stay in his bed for the rest of the night and, perhaps, the rest of eternity. He pulled away from me suddenly after quite awhile to dress and then stood at the window for several minutes, silently gazing out at the snowy ground while I dressed slowly and with a bit of a sense of dread.

I knew what was coming and I hated it. Gary turned to face me when I joined him at the window, gently reaching out to take one of my hands as he did so. It was such a sweet move that I almost forgot about that dreaded conversation that was about to follow. As soon as I recalled what I felt was about to come, I felt every bit of frustration come racing back into me.

"Wait and see again?" I asked, trying to hide the hurt that I felt. Wasn't I worth more than this? Did Gary see me as nothing more than another experiment regarding his sexuality? Of course he cared about me, but back then, I felt used.

Gary nodded with an oddly serene expression. "We'll be apart again. I probably won't even see you for another several months."

"But we'll both be in Sinnoh!" I exclaimed, unable to bite back my frustration any longer.

"About that…" he began softly, his gaze falling away from me for a moment before moving back up to meet my eyes again. "I won't be in Sinnoh. I'm going to Hoenn to work with Professor Birch for awhile."

"But what about us?" I burst out suddenly. "Gary, for the past two years we've been… I don't even know what to call this but doesn't it mean anything to you?" I glared up at him, loathing the way he had made me feel so wonderful less than an hour before and now he was making me miserable.

To my annoyance, he stayed calm, smiling gently at me the whole time. "If it's meant to be, we'll find each other. Right now we have different lives, Ash. We both have our own dreams that are taking us down different paths –"

"Which keep intersecting," I pointed out and Gary's calm expression finally broke as he sighed and closed his eyes briefly.

"Then they'll keep intersecting, Ash," he replied calmly. "We're young – too young to fall in love. You need to follow your dreams and I need to follow mine. If we're meant to be then our paths will keep crossing."

I could feel my eyes prickling slightly and forced them wide to keep myself from crying. "I guess," was all I said before turning and walking away. I couldn't bear to be around Gary right then.

We were young then. I was still seventeen and Gary had turned eighteen by then – I suppose we both had growing to do, something a relationship may have hindered but I didn't see it that way at the time. Instead, I was furious with him and incredibly hurt. I hated not knowing what he was doing with other people when we were apart while I was left thinking of him. I hated knowing that I had fallen for him but he hadn't done the same. Most of all, I hated that I had given such a big part of myself to him; I had given him my heart and he had handed it back without a second glance, I had given him my body and he had taken it for his own pleasure.

I wasn't sure I ever wanted to see Gary Oak again, much less kiss him and touch him. Of course, I only felt that way for a short while. As soon as we went our separate ways, I started to miss him, though the times of missing him were spread out between times of being angry with him.

We hardly spoke this time and when we did, we avoided the mention of the fact that we'd had sex in his bedroom while in Pallet. The research in Hoenn had fallen through, though Gary had never specified why and I found out from Mom that Gary had returned to Sinnoh on his own. Gary never mentioned this to me; instead he told me that he was done with Hoenn and was looking for a new project to embark on. That was maybe four months after I learned from Mom that he had left Hoenn; only six months after the holiday season and my visit to Pallet Town.

I kept training and I kept my near-future goals set on the Sinnoh Pokemon League Competition, which occurred several months later. I stayed in Sinnoh that Christmas to train, still too annoyed with Gary to risk facing him at home, and then competed two months later. It was now over three years since that first kiss had taken place and it had been over a year since I last saw Gary. I won that competition – my first Pokemon League victory.

That was when I saw Gary again.

It was from a distance at the end of the competition; I had finished my final battle and was about to head back to the hotel we were staying at when I saw a figure leaning against the wall near the entrance to the stadium. He was wearing the same sweatshirt he had worn the last time I saw him – I recognized the band logo on it – though the hood was pulled up, leaving his face in shadow. I could see long strands of brunette hair falling from around his face to rest about his shoulders, indicating that he had never bothered to cut the hair that had bothered his grandfather so much. It could have been anyone waiting for someone else at the stadium but I knew instinctually that it was Gary. He raised his head and looked directly at me, our eyes meeting for an instant, confirming that it was indeed Gary.

His eyes were tired, yet proud and a bit sad; a strange combination that I wasn't entirely sure what to make of. In that instant, the only thing I wanted to do was go to him and talk to him. Something in the depths of his gaze was reeling me in. I got the idea that something was wrong and that I was the only one that could make it right, as cheesy as it sounds.

I had turned to tell Brock and Dawn that I would meet them at the hotel and when I turned back, Gary was gone. Reason told me that he probably headed down the alley that was nearby but my mind believed that he had simply disappeared into thin air. For a moment I had wondered if I had been seeing things, that maybe Gary was simply an illusion caused by my desire to actually see and talk to him. The next time I talked to my mother, I told her about how I saw Gary, or thought I had seen him, as I still wasn't entirely sure that it _was_ him, and was a bit surprised when she told me that he had been nearby the last time Professor Oak talked to him. That was enough to convince me that I had actually seen him but I was unsure of why he hadn't bothered to talk to me.

It was over a month later when I finally heard from Gary again and it was a simple email congratulating me, claiming that he'd heard from his grandfather about my victory. The lie was obvious and it pissed me off enough that I didn't even bother replying.

Weeks passed, months passed, a year passed and I never heard from Gary. During that time, I stayed in Sinnoh and competed in their Battle Frontier, won the competition and could have sworn that I caught a glimpse of a long-haired twenty-year-old with an Umbreon at his side. This time, I passed it off as a hallucination – Professor Oak had spoken to Gary a month earlier and he had been in Johto at the time. There was no way it was him and I kept that stance until I heard from him a week later. This time the email said that he had seen my battle and that he was proud to say I had been his top rival. After that was a short apology for "everything" that had happened between us. He hoped that things could be right between us. I stared at the computer screen for a long time, rereading that part over and over again, unsure of what to think.

It was then that I made up my mind: I was done with this whole wait-and-see spiel. Four years had passed now and I had given Gary plenty of time only to be essentially ignored. I was still angry and hurt and I doubted anything would "make things right."

My response was short and to the point, a brief email bluntly stating how I felt at that time as a scorned nineteen-year-old who was about to exit his teen years. "I'm glad we chose to wait and see. It's probably less painful this way. I'm done."

I was certain that was the end between us, but truthfully, it was a new beginning. I cried that night, I didn't eat the next day, I stayed in that Pokemon Center for a week, and most of all, I was surprised when I received a reply less than a month later.

"It might be less painful for you but, remember, this isn't a game of solitaire. I stand by what I said – if it's meant to be then it'll be. You say you're done, but you're still waiting to see what happens. I know you too well."

He was right.

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A/N – Thanks so much to the people who have reviewed/favorited this story, I'm thrilled to have had such a good response to the first chapter. I'm really curious as to why exactly some people favorited it or added it to their watch list but I'm grateful for the reviews I've gotten so far.

licoricejellybean – I'm glad you liked it so much, I know you've been waiting awhile for my updates! I'm glad you like the flow and the style as that's usually the thing I worry the most about with writing. This was originally going to be a oneshot but it was just so long that I figured it would be easier to read in multiple chapters. Thanks for your feedback on the first person perspective, it's really the hardest way to write (in my opinion at least). I'll definitely try to add more emotion for Ash.

piratepenguin666 – Thanks for the review! I'll try to be a bit more clear with flashbacks and present time, I think I know which part you were talking about being confused. And, yes, this is only going to be five chapters long.


	3. Chapter 3

**Evolution**

Summary: Some relationships come easily, others have to go through trials and tribulations before they even begin. A quiet night causes Ash to ponder the way his relationship with Gary has evolved over the years. Palletshipping five-piece.

Disclaimer – I own the storyline, my interpretation of the characters, and nothing else.

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**Hoenn - Adaptation**

Surprisingly, we kept up the communication, even though it was in the form of a barely concealed argument in through emails. This drew out over the course of nearly another year; emails were every few weeks as we were both on the road while I competed in the Johto Battle Frontier and in the Hoenn Battle Frontier, winning both of them. The Johto competition was in the summer and I caught a fleeting glimpse of someone with dark hair reaching past the middle of their back but they were walking away from me so I couldn't tell if it was him or not. Later that day I was walking to a restaurant with Mom, Professor Oak, Tracey, and May Oak when May suddenly uttered the word "Umbreon" and quickly began weaving her way through the crowded street. She swore that she had seen her brother and it was then that I knew it was him who I had seen.

It hadn't been particularly shocking for Gary to be in Johto, ever since I had won the Sinnoh Pokemon League, he had been traveling back and forth between the four regions, seeming to go wherever his whims took him. I almost envied him for that. When I thought back on it, I realized that he had been to every competition I had been to and I began to wonder if he was following me through the regions. I doubted this as he had apparently been mostly in eastern Kanto and southern Sinnoh, with a random stop in the Sevii Islands during my time in Johto – it was only the during the competition that he showed up in the region. The competitions were broadcasted and advertised throughout the different regions so it was easy enough for Gary to find out about them without even asking his grandfather about them and his occasional communication with the professor made it easy enough to guess what competition I would be in.

Our little email argument ended abruptly in Hoenn when I competed there. It was autumn when the competition took place and I didn't realize until after the fact that my victory coincided with Gary's twenty-first birthday. I was heading back to my hotel at night after spending time catching up with friends I had made over my training career when I saw the glowing yellow rings of an Umbreon further down the road, heading towards a wooded area with a trainer. Without thinking, I followed. I _knew_ it was his Umbreon and something was dragging me along, eager to finally put an end to this tiresome journey.

They reached the woods before me and disappeared before I could catch up but I didn't allow this to stop me. I pressed on – wasn't this what friends were supposed to do? An hour passed and I grew frustrated, finally resorting to yelling Gary's name as loud as I could, hoping that by some chance he had heard and would stop and let me find him.

That was when I heard a dry chuckle from behind me. "You said you were done months ago. Why are you chasing after me through the woods in the middle of the night?" Gary's voice was a bit rough as though he didn't use it often but it wasn't unpleasant. When I turned, he was only a few meters away, his head cocked in that typical amused fashion of his. His hair hung down nearly to his waist, which was where he had tied that sweatshirt of his. The jeans he wore were faded and ripped in several places, bearing stains in other spots, but didn't look dirty. In fact, nothing about him appeared dirty or road-weary – that long hair was clean and hung straight as though it had been brushed recently and the t-shirt he wore looked almost new. He was clean-shaven and looked wonderful with that lean build that had only been perfected by constant travel.

"Gary…" I said softly, immensely surprised by the way he had managed to follow me without my notice.

"In the flesh," he replied, a small smirk curving his lips before he laughed. "I was right; you're still waiting to see what happens next."

"What makes you say that?"

"You followed me out here, didn't you? You kept replying to my emails and, according to Grandpa, you keep asking about me." He shrugged slightly and crossed his arms loosely over his chest. "I think that says it pretty clearly."

I had no response to his observations so I kept quiet and glanced over him again. It was then that I noticed he didn't have a bag with him, instead he held what appeared to be a sketchbook of sorts; I was confused. "Where's all of your stuff?" I asked suspiciously. There was no way he would be traveling with nothing other than a notebook and Umbreon; he may have changed but I knew he wasn't irresponsible enough to do something that stupid.

He cocked his head again and smiled. "Back at the hotel – how stupid do you think I am? Don't answer that," he cut me off, raising a hand as I tried to reply that I knew he wasn't stupid. "Come on, we have some catching up to do." With that, he turned and began to walk off, leaving me to glance at Pikachu in surprise as he squeaked on my shoulder.

I followed Gary and was surprised to find that we hadn't gone very deep into the woods and that he was staying in the same hotel as me. His room was smaller than mine but was just as comfortable, leaving me confused as this was one of the pricier hotels I had stayed in. I knew his family had money but I doubted it was enough to afford this sort of place while traveling nonstop without ever going back home for a visit.

"Believe it or not, I've been training," Gary replied simply when I asked him about that. "I get enough money from battling to afford to keep traveling and I'm still researching so I still get paid."

"How are you doing research? You've been all over the place since you were eighteen!"

Gary shook his head at that and sat down on the edge of the bed, explaining that he had stopped working with Professor Birch almost three years ago because he couldn't stand being in one place for so long. Professor Oak had been approached by the Pokemon League to do compile research of the different training areas and the pokemon within them but he had passed it on to Gary, who took the job willingly. He tossed me the sketchbook he had been carrying when I found him and let me flip through it, finding sketches, hand-drawn maps, and paragraphs upon paragraphs of observations of pokemon. Apparently that was why he was always going places. I admit I was jealous at the time – he had found a job that paid him well just to go wherever the hell he felt like going, to do whatever he pleased, so long as he provided reports at the end of each month. I was even a bit annoyed when I realized that he had become Professor Oak's main source of information for the updated Pokedex.

Still, that left a lot of questions unanswered.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about this?"

He gave another shrug. "I knew I had hurt you and I didn't think you ever wanted to speak to me again," he said simply.

"Well, yeah, but you made it worse by never talking to me! If you had told me what you were doing then maybe we could have traveled together – that would have helped me as a trainer!"

"You wouldn't have competed in the competitions if we did that, Ash; you need those victories under your belt to become a pokemon Master. You've won all four of the Battle Frontiers now, you've placed in three of the regional competitions and you won the hardest one of them. Not to mention winning the Orange League and all of the other little competitions you've done!"

"But, Gary –!"

"Shut up for a minute! Don't you get it? You can compete against the fucking Elite Four now – you beat them in any region and you're a Master. That's your dream, isn't it? You're so close to it, Ash."

"Is that what you meant by us having different paths to follow?" I asked, referencing what he had said in the conversation we'd had after he had taken my virginity on my last visit home.

"Yes! Ash, I'm already a big name in research; I reached my dream. I couldn't have done it if I had a boyfriend that I needed to talk to every day and visit every few weeks. Just like you couldn't get this far if you had let a relationship hold you down."

As he spoke, I finally saw something in his eyes that I had been hoping to see for a long time. There was a deep caring that was finally apparent. This waiting game that had driven me so insane and had frustrated me so thoroughly had been done in my best interest. Now I could see why he had insisted on us constantly waiting and seeing where things would go, where our paths would cross next. I finally understood.

"I'm leaving again tomorrow night," Gary said softly, jolting me out of my thoughts a moment later. "If it's meant to be then, hopefully, we'll see each other soon. If not, if you're still done with 'us,' then I guess you'll find someone else."

I smiled at that but it was a sad smile. He was leaving again and I had to stay here in Hoenn for the closing ceremonies, I didn't even know where he was heading to and I doubted he even knew. Hell, I didn't even know where _I_ was going once this was all done and over with. Despite this, there was something that still made me happy and that was the fact that it was my turn to call the shots. Gary was leaving it up to me, the tone in his voice made that clear.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we?" I asked with a more cheerful smile.

A grin spread across Gary's face at that and he nodded. "I guess so," he replied.

I stood from the chair I had sat down in and made my way to the door, quickly followed by Gary. As I stood in the doorway, about to leave for the night, I glanced back at him and remembered that my mother was still in town with Professor Oak. "I'm having lunch with your grandfather and Mom tomorrow; come with us if you want." I told him my room number and what time we were planning to leave the hotel.

To my surprise, he showed up at my room the next day. The jeans he wore looked as though they had been bought that morning though the black shirt he wore was a bit faded; his hair was tied back and in the afternoon light, I could see that the color had become richer, complimenting the shade of his eyes in a way that I could only see as perfect. I had sworn to myself the moment I first saw him that I wouldn't kiss him – I had positively _sworn_ it. And yet, I broke that promise to myself by immediately pulling his face closer to mine and kissing him hard enough to surprise both of us.

That afternoon was enjoyable as we shared stories of our travels and laughed together; for once, it was like a true friendship without all of the drama that came into play once attraction became apparent. Unfortunately, it didn't last as Gary had a flight to catch so that he could return to Sinnoh. I hated to see him go this time more than any other and I was sorely tempted to beg him to stay at least until the closing ceremonies were through. Of course, even if I had begged him, he probably would have left anyway. I was so tempted to catch the next flight to Sinnoh just so that I could stay with him that I checked the ticket prices and was incredibly dismayed to see how expensive they were. I resented the fact that I probably could have afforded it if I hadn't stayed in such an expensive hotel; the whole situation depressed me enough to make me check into a ferry ticket home to Pallet for an unspecified amount of time.

Perhaps fortunately, I saw a familiar face as I was about to get on line to buy a ferry ticket. It was Max, my old travel buddy who was now a trainer halfway through his journey towards competing in the Ever Grande Conference. Since Gary had just left again, I was desperate for a friend and I quickly agreed to travel with him before I even thought about the fact that the Battle Frontier wasn't quite over or that all of my belongings were currently at the hotel room that I had nearly forgotten about. Either way, I stayed in Hoenn a few months longer and decided to compete in the Ever Grande Conference once more; I wasn't entirely sure what made me do it but I assume it had something to do with the way Gary had mentioned how close I was to my dream of becoming a pokemon Master.

Once more, I won and I was thrilled – my second Pokemon League victory! At the same time, I felt bad for defeating Max in the third round and I felt wholly disheartened when the whole competition passed without me ever seeing Gary. I got an email a few weeks later and opened it to face a full paragraph of scolding for not telling him that I was competing in Hoenn once more.

"I would've come if I knew you were competing! Honestly, Ash! Communication – weren't you bitching about me never talking to you before we saw each other at your last competition?"

A colon followed by a parenthesis came after Gary's little rant to form a smiley face, showing me that he wasn't really mad, just a bit disappointed. It was obvious that he had wanted to come and I felt bad about not telling him – after all, we had been communicating more often than ever. I replied with a sincere apology and a promise to keep him better informed.

At this point, the winter holidays were nearly upon us once more and, having fulfilled my duties in yet another region, I decided to head home. I hoped ardently that Gary would be home but my hopes of sweet kisses were thwarted when I arrived at Professor Oak's house to find only Tracey and the professor. They informed me that Gary was busy in western Johto and hadn't been able to catch a last minute flight to spend Christmas in Pallet. He called me at my mother's house on Christmas, appearing regretful that he couldn't make it home on one of my rare visits. After a short congratulation for "kicking ass at yet _another_ competition," he announced that he was staying in Johto for the next few months as there had been rumors of new species in the region.

Excited by this revelation, I decided to once more follow my former rival and left only a few days after Christmas with the sincerest hopes of traveling along side Gary.

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A/N – Thanks to the lovely people at Palletshipper Paradise for adding my story and thanks also to everyone who reviewed and added this to their favorite/alert list. I'd really love to hear what everyone likes about the story so, as always, please review and let me know! Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Evolution**

Summary: Some relationships come easily, others have to go through trials and tribulations before they even begin. A quiet night causes Ash to ponder the way his relationship with Gary has evolved over the years. Palletshipping five-piece.

Disclaimer – I own the storyline, my interpretation of the characters, and nothing else.

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**Johto - Speciation**

It wasn't until I reached Violet City in the heart of Johto that I realized what a wholly stupid idea running off to find Gary was. I had no idea where he was – sure he had been in western Johto, but that wasn't particularly specific. I traveled almost aimlessly for a month or so, simply hoping to run into him. After awhile, I realized how futile this was and was ready to head back home; that was when I received the message that kept me in the region.

As usual, it was an email – a short one at that – which told me I should go to Blackthorn City if I wasn't busy. A year ago the vagueness of the invite wouldn't have surprised me but Gary hadn't been vague for months; he always told me what he was up to, if anything, _I _was the vague one lately. Unsurprisingly, I was curious so, understandably, I headed over to check out whatever was going on there. I expected to find him in the city when I got there but I didn't count on literally running into him when I had only been in Blackthorn for a grand total of fifteen minutes. I had stopped by a training supply store near the outskirts of the city to pick up some food and potions, only to walk straight into someone while I was too busy checking out the Ninetails that belonged to another trainer to pay attention to where I was going.

I jerked myself back to reality when I heard an achingly familiar voice say my name in surprise; looking up, I saw Gary. He appeared to be as surprised to see me as I was to see him.

"You took your time getting here, Ash," he teased as he shook his head with a small smirk. I noticed that his hair was quite a bit shorter now, hanging around his shoulders rather than a few inches short of his waist. The smirk disappeared and he turned serious after his first comment. "I wish you had gotten here sooner – I'm about to head to Cinnabar Island. I won't be back for at least a month and that's only if things go right; I'll probably be gone even longer…"

A sigh escaped me before I could stop it. "Things just never work out for us, do they, Gary?" I asked dejectedly, feeling myself deflate a bit.

Gary smiled at this but a slight sadness touched his eyes as he did so. "Maybe not for _us_, but I think things might just work out perfectly for you."

It was then that I realized that he wasn't alone; standing just behind him was a red-haired man who didn't look to be too much older than ourselves. Having met him a few times before, I recognized the Dragon Master immediately and wondered what the hell he and Gary were doing together. Much to my embarrassment, my mind leaped to some sort of promiscuous affair between them, despite the incredible ridiculousness of that particular situation.

Almost as though he had read my mind, Gary gave a small laugh and quickly explained. "We've found a subspecies of Gyarados that can use fire-type attacks so I've been working with Lance and some of the professors to find out how that works. That's why I'm going to Cinnabar – there's a lot of research with fire-types there." He glanced at his watch and groaned with a roll of his eyes. "Unfortunately, I have to go or else I'm going to miss my train. You should stay in Blackthorn with Lance for awhile, Ash; you might learn a few things," he added with a playful wink.

Then he was gone, leaving me alone with someone who I held a great respect for. A silence fell between us and was quickly broken by Lance.

"It's been a long time, Ash," he said simply. "There are rumors that you might usurp my throne in a few years."

The last part was accompanied by a good natured smile on Lance's part and a modest laugh on mine. I doubted I could ever top Lance's abilities and I knew I didn't want to take away his title as a Master trainer – by this point in my life, I simply wanted my name to be known with the same familiarity of his. Unbeknownst to me, this lighthearted comment would change things drastically.

I stayed in Blackthorn and helped Lance study the Gyarados in the area, occasionally traveling to other bodies of water to check out claims of sightings of this new subspecies. It was an opportunity to do something new and I enjoyed it. What I enjoyed even more was the chance to train with the Dragon Master himself and Claire, the gym leader of Blackthorn City. They battled me, gave me advice, and best of all, encouraged me to go against the Elite Four of the Johto League. I did this several months into my stay in Blackthorn City while Gary was still away.

I made it through three rounds before being taken out by Karen – her Umbreon was what did me in. The loss disappointed and depressed me thoroughly, so much so that I desperately called a Kanto phone number without thinking and was shocked to hear the voice that answered. I had called out of thoughtless desperation, never imagining that he would actually be in Pallet; after all, Gary had been in Sandgem Town to see Professor Rowan a mere three days ago! He could instantly tell something was wrong and had listened patiently as I told him about the battles, something I needed at the time.

"Ashy, you should have told me you were going to do that," he replied once I was done. "I could have told you Umbreon's weaknesses! Still… You battled every member of the Johto Elite Four on your first try – that's really impressive, even for someone with your qualifications as a trainer."

"But I still lost!" I complained loudly in a near-wail. My ego had taken a huge blow in that loss even though I knew that I had done well. Egos just work that way, I suppose.

Gary's face softened at my emotional response and he sighed quietly. "Don't let your ego control your emotions, Ash," he warned. "Look, you did _really_ well but you haven't been training as much as usual in these past few months." I opened my mouth to argue that, even though I wasn't training quite as fiercely as before, I had been training with two outstanding trainers but was cut off by Gary as he held up a hand. "Pokemon Masters don't slack off, Ashy," he teased lightly. "No matter how good you are, you need intense training before attempting the Elite Four. Why don't you try the Silver Conference again? It's only a few months away and I'll be back in Johto in time for that."

The prospect of a new challenge cheered me up and shook me out of that mini-depression and I was leaving Blackthorn City by the end of the week. Spurred on by Gary's encouragement and a newfound confidence in my abilities, I traveled through the cities, battling trainers at every opportunity for the three month span before the competition. By this point in time, Gary had returned to Johto but was apparently traveling so, as usual, I never saw him. He'd said he would be at the competition but, with the work he was doing, I doubted he would be able to make it; then he surprised me again.

I was in the middle of filling out the paperwork to compete when someone crept up behind me and grabbed my shoulders, causing me to scream and jump, sending my papers flying. I recognized the laugh that followed my reaction immediately and relaxed as a pair of familiar arms wrapped around me. Pikachu was less than amused and began chirping angrily until Gary scratched him behind the ears, causing him to fall silent as his eyes slid shut in contentment.

"I didn't think you would make it," I spoke up as Gary continued to pet my pokemon.

"Why? I've been in the area; remember I told you that I was going to be checking into those dead fish that washed up in the caves?"

I nodded; I had heard from him maybe two weeks earlier, saying that he would be at Mount Silver for a short while. Several trainers had gone into the caves in the mountain and came across hundreds of dead Magikarp, Seaking, and Goldeen; being the only available researcher nearby, Gary had been sent to check it out. "Any luck with that?" I asked as I gathered up the papers I had scattered when he suddenly appeared.

Gary shook his head and explained that he hadn't gotten the results of the water tests he had run yet. He stayed with me as I finished the paperwork, keeping Pikachu amused as I did so. Once I was done, we went out for lunch and ended up spending the entire day together. That night, we came to a hotel near the stadium and I was surprised when Gary got a double room and handed me one of the keys – my intention had been to stay at the Pokemon Center since my money was running a bit low and I had told him this over lunch. We spent the night in separate beds but stayed up into the early hours of the morning talking about some of the things that had happened in my time in Johto and reminiscing about the last time I had competed in the Silver Conference. We could still remember our battle vividly and we both commented on how far we had come over the years. So many years had passed since then – we were only fourteen when we competed against each other and here we were now, twenty-two and twenty-three years old and so close to our dreams that we could taste them.

I passed through the first rounds with no problem and we celebrated the victories at night in our room with kisses that began as gentle but ended as frenzied and hard. I couldn't get enough and that was what led to the events of the night before my first battle in the finals. My clothes had been shed slowly, peeled off by Gary as his hands wandered over every part of my body. His mouth teasingly worked my body and I was eager to reciprocate once he was done. I quickly pulled off his shirt after kissing him roughly and was suddenly reminded of something that had worried me the first time we had done this: the scars on his stomach. He had distracted me with kisses and seduction when I was sixteen but I wasn't about to let him off the hook so easily this time – I was his best friend and I deserved an explanation.

The explanation took a lot of coaxing but when he finally told me, I knew things between us had just reached a new level. When Gary finally told me that he had done it to himself, I saw him in a new light; he was no longer Mr. Perfect, capable of doing anything without ever losing his arrogant smirk. He was just a normal guy who'd had his teenage years fraught with homesickness and more responsibility than he could handle on his own. Research coupled with coming to terms about liking guys had been hard on him as a sixteen-year-old and hurting himself had somehow filled a void. Though the admission confused me, I accepted it and threw my arms around him tightly.

Gary responded by kissing my cheek and pulled me down into his lap, cupping my cheek in his hand and forcing me to meet his eyes; he could tell that this had upset me. "It was just a stupid thing I did as a teenager, Ash. Don't worry about it."

He reassured me over and over again but I had a hard time getting over it and we eventually fell asleep in each other's arms that night. When I awoke in the morning, I realized how much it actually meant for Gary to admit something like that and I knew then that our relationship had just taken a leap forward.

Two nights later and it was the eve of the final battle in the competition. I was nervous because the opposing trainer was a powerful one and had a nasty reputation with his Alakazam; I couldn't sit still and fidgeted and whined constantly until Gary pushed me down on my bed and straddled my waist with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. He came closer and closer to me until his lips were hovering just over my ear.

"You're going to be fine tomorrow, Ash," he murmured in a low voice that gave me chills. He nipped lightly at my ear, causing me to groan softly as he spoke again. "You're going to win that match tomorrow and then we're going to come back here and –"

I never got to hear his plans for the next night; I had grasped his hair and pulled him away from my ear enough to press my lips desperately against his. A surprised squeak escaped him and I probably would have laughed if my tongue hadn't been in his mouth at the time. That night was the second time I was ever with someone and I was thrilled that it was Gary – this was just one of the many things I had waited so earnestly for over the past several years. Gary leaned over me when were both spent and pressed soft kisses against my shoulders and the back of my neck before finally lying down next to me. We laid there for several minutes, just staring into each other's eyes and I felt something spark within me.

Gary frowned slightly and looked at me quizzically after a while; it was such a sudden change from his relaxed expression just seconds earlier that I had to ask what was wrong. He shook his head in response and his frown deepened. "I don't know," he replied in an oddly soft voice. "I've never felt like this before, Ash… And it kind of scares me."

I slowly nodded, I could see where he was coming from as I felt that spark build at his words. "I know what you mean," I managed to whisper. My mouth had become rather dry and my breathing had seemed to speed up. I know now that it was in that moment that we realized we loved each other but at that time, it was as confusing as ever.

The next morning I woke up with Gary's arm draped loosely over my waist while I was curled against him, even though we had gone to sleep facing opposite directions. My battle wasn't until the evening so we lazed about the hotel room for awhile before heading out for breakfast. Sometime after we ate, I headed to the stadium to meet up with Brock and Misty, who had both come into town to see the final battle. While I was doing that, Gary disappeared somewhere and returned with a pokeball in hand and a serious expression on his face. He pulled me aside and pressed the ball into my hand, explaining that it was Umbreon and that she was immune to psychic attacks. I knew my opponent specialized in psychic types but I was confused as to why he was giving me his favorite pokemon.

"I looked up a few things about this trainer that you're up against and, to be blunt, I don't have a good feeling about this."

"I beat Sabrina in Saffron City when I was just eleven. This guy can't be any harder than she was," I reassured him, feeling totally confident with my training skills.

"Ash, the first battle this guy was in during this competition was against a Charmeleon – that Charmeleon is now dead. They can't prove that it's because of his Alakazam's attacks without a necropsy but it looks like that's what did it."

I froze at his words but shook my head after they sank in. "That's impossible," I protested. Despite how confident I felt, I was unsure; that Charmeleon Gary was talking about had been in intensive care in the Pokemon Center since the day after the battle and it had been knocked out with a single psychic attack. This trainer had been taking out pokemon left and right, leaving other trainers scurrying for ghost and dark pokemon for their battles. "A psychic attack can't kill another pokemon. Can it?"

Gary nodded grimly. "I once saw a Cubone whose brain had been compacted by a powerful psychic attack. It didn't have a chance of surviving; it was horrible. These deaths are really common, Ash; you need a dark-type. That Alakazam has to be at least a level eighty, Umbreon's only around seventy but she's strong enough."

"I'm not using your pokemon for this, Gary. I have a Houndoom and a Mightyena that I can use. Not to mention Pikachu."

"At least _bring_ her with you, you don't have to use her if you don't have to but please, Ash. I don't have a good feeling about this."

His voice was so serious that I couldn't refuse this request. I slowly turned Umbreon's pokeball over in my hand, trying to remember how she was in battle the last time I had seen her. Finally, I reached down, pulled the ball containing my Swellow off of my belt, handed the ball to Gary, and replaced it with Umbreon's ball. "I trust your judgement."

For the rest of the afternoon, we went over Umbreon's attacks and her strengths and weaknesses; I felt confident but I was still unfamiliar with the dark canine. Gary assured me that she liked me and would follow my commands but I was still wary of using such an unfamiliar pokemon. I had caught and trained my own two dark-types on my more recent journeys and was completely familiar with their personalities and abilities while I hadn't even battled Umbreon before. Nonetheless, her pokeball remained at my waist with her being my secret – and last-resort – weapon.

The battle was fierce; the first five rounds were difficult but I still had Houndoom, Umbreon, and Pikachu when my opponent was down to just his Alakazam. This was when my confidence wavered, especially when I saw how nervous Misty and Brock looked in the stands. Houndoom stood up well against the psychic attacks but went down eventually when he failed to see through a double team attack. Pikachu battled fiercely and weakened his opponent considerably before the trainer had his Alakazam use a psychic attack that sent Pikachu flying into the air, only to slam horrifically back into the ground. I watched in terror as my pokemon lay motionless on the ground and did the only thing I could at the time by recalling him with his hated pokeball. I was shaking with fear as Pikachu had always made some attempt to get up after any attack but I managed to keep my wits about me enough to send out Umbreon.

I was suddenly so happy to accepted Gary's pokemon into my team that afternoon – she was amazing, even for a ten-year-old canine who was starting to lose her touch just a bit. Her speed was phenomenal and she used it to her advantage, dodging physical attacks and retaliating with shockingly powerful attacks of her own, all without me needing to utter a single command. She took down the Alakazam and gave me my third Pokemon League victory but I barely felt any elation at this victory.

The president of the Johto Pokemon League came down to give me my trophy and announce me as this year's champion but I could hardly focus on him. Gary's voice called to me suddenly and I saw him running over to me with my other two best friends behind him; immediately I knew what to do and tossed him Pikachu's pokeball, calling that I would meet them in the Pokemon Center. Eventually, I got out of there and ran as fast as I could to the Center, where I found Brock and Misty sitting in the waiting room looking pale and strained. I found Gary pacing the hallway near the emergency room with Umbreon near his side; he looked far more tense than I had ever seen him before and it worried me greatly.

I managed to choke out his name when I saw him but couldn't speak past the fearful lump in my throat. To his credit, he understood and came over to me, embracing me tightly and holding me against him while he explained that Pikachu was in bad shape and that Nurse Joy wasn't sure if he would make it.

Over an hour later, Nurse Joy came out and shook her head sadly, leaving me cold and numb. Her heartfelt apology barely reached my ears as my world slowly crumbled around me. I was allowed in the room and I could feel myself breaking down as I stared at my first pokemon, my best friend, and my most faithful companion. My heart broke entirely as I carefully picked up his limp body and cradled him to my chest while hot tears rolled down my cheeks.

Pikachu was cremated that night and Gary, Brock, and Misty all chipped in to buy necklace with a lightning bolt-shaped charm with a tiny vial filled with his ashes inside of it. I was immensely grateful for the thoughtful gesture and slipped the necklace over my head right away. That night was undoubtedly the worst in my entire life and Misty and Brock spent the night fetching me tissues and cups of tea as I grieved but it was Gary that held me through the night, even after I had cried myself to sleep against his chest.

Gary and Brock disappeared the next day, leaving me alone with Misty for quite some time; it was announced on the news later that night that my opponent had lost his trainer's license for killing not only Pikachu but that Charmeleon and a few other pokemon. On top of that, he had turned up in the hospital with severe bruises, a broken nose, and a concussion. Oddly enough, Brock and Gary seemed to have _particularly_ sore hands that night. I realized much later on that they were the reason the trainer was hospitalized and was surprised that Brock had done such a thing – for some reason, Gary's involvement didn't surprise me.

We stayed in town for nearly two weeks after that day and I found out much later that Gary had actually quit his research job with the Pokemon League in order to stay with me. On the day that we were to leave, Gary headed out to pick up some supplies only to return far sooner than I had anticipated with a small whimpering bundle in his arms.

"Gary – what?" was all I could manage as I leapt up from my huddled position on the bed to see what was making such pained noises.

"I found her on the side of the road," he replied, shoving his belongings off of his bed as he placed the bundle on it, revealing an Eevee with matted fur. "Looks like a broken leg but she's half-frozen and probably dehydrated."

The Eevee was obviously in pain but looked as though she wasn't too badly injured; she was small but not particularly young, in fact, she looked to be at least several months old. While Gary dug through a his first aid kit for an eye dropper to feed the little pokemon some of the electrolyte mix that he kept for emergencies, I pointed my pokedex at her and was surprised to read that she was at level thirteen. We took her down to the same Pokemon Center where Pikachu had died and had her checked out and treated; Gary's initial diagnosis had been correct and Nurse Joy put one of her front legs in a splint, gave her an intravenous line, and put her on a heating pad to warm up.

It was recommended that the Eevee stay in the Center for a few days and Gary and I ended up staying there for an extra two days while the pokemon recovered. During that time, I became attached to the little furball and she became attached to me. Based on her level, I surmised that she had most likely been abandoned and, because of that, I took her in.

Gary never said anything but something in his eyes showed that he approved of me taking in Eevee. I knew it was too soon to get over Pikachu but I desperately needed something to keep me from breaking down in tears every time I thought of him and this little one seemed to be perfect for that. The three of us – me, Gary, and Eevee – left the Pokemon Center after a few days and traveled by train back to Kanto, arriving in Pallet only a few days before Christmas.

Six years had passed since our first kiss under the mistletoe.

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A/N – Please, people, stop favoriting without reviewing. The reason I even write fanfiction is to get feedback so that I can grow as a writer, it doesn't take long and it's appreciated more than most people realize. If I'm doing something that people like, I'd like to know what is so I can keep doing it and if I'm doing something that people dislike, then I would like to know even more so that I can stop it. Again, thank you to those who reviewed and favorited/alerted this story.

Bob Da Peach – This is the third fic where I've given Gary long hair and this is the first time anyone has ever commented on his look – I'm glad you like it and I'm glad you thought the job was fitting for him.

newXmoonXfox – I'm not doing a lemon in this fic because I don't think it really fits but I promise I will try to do a Palletshippy lemon for you!


	5. Chapter 5

**Evolution**

Summary: Some relationships come easily, others have to go through trials and tribulations before they even begin. A quiet night causes Ash to ponder the way his relationship with Gary has evolved over the years. Palletshipping five-piece.

Disclaimer – I own the storyline, my interpretation of the characters, and nothing else.

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**Kanto - Evolution**

My return to Pallet surprised me that year; all of my closest friends from my travels showed up for a party that my mother had arranged and I was shocked by the level of sympathy over Pikachu's sudden death. Mom, May, and Dawn had all cried in response to the news and even Tracey admitted to having done so. The last thing I wanted to do on Christmas was think about Pikachu and Professor Oak seemed to notice this as he chose that day to announce that he was planning to retire in the next year or so, leaving the lab and pokemon preserve for Gary, Tracey, and May Oak to quarrel over. It quickly became obvious that Gary would be the one to take it as Tracey was planning on going to a university in the Orange Islands to get his second doctorate degree and May had already moved to Celadon City years ago.

I took this to mean that Gary would actually be staying in one place for more than a week or two and, at that time in my life, I felt like I needed someone. I needed a sort of comfort that none of my friends other than Gary could provide and the professor's news filled me with a new sort of hope that maybe, just maybe, this thing between me and Gary was meant to be. It finally felt like things were going to work out between us. That alone filled me with a warmth that I hadn't felt since long before Pikachu's passing.

I stayed in Pallet for months and it wasn't just because Gary was staying either; I needed a break, I needed a warm bed and my mother's hot meals. More than anything, I needed time. The first month was spent almost entirely in Mom's house, in my old bedroom. Mom would bring me food in my room and Gary stopped by often, usually bringing a few of my pokemon along with me. I never went to the lab to see my pokemon in that time and I doubt I strayed from the backyard at all.

Finally, Mom sent me on an errand to bring a basket of muffins over to Professor Oak – something that I still swear she set up. Professor Oak was gone, having just left for a conference in Johto, leaving Gary alone in the lab with Tracey tending to the pokemon outside on the preserve. When I entered the lab, I found Gary sitting on the floor playing with Eevee, who immediately ran over to me.

"Well, well, look who finally decided to stop being a hermit," Gary teased as he stood up and straightened his lab coat. "How did your mother ever manage to get you out of the house?" I held up the basket of muffins and had to stifle a laugh at the look that passed over Gary's face. "Finally – real food! I've been practically dying here, living off of frozen food and whatever Grandpa and Tracey manage to burn beyond recognition," he exclaimed in relief.

I pointed out that he had been eating at my house nearly every day but he ignored the comment and led me outside to show me some of the changes that had happened around the preserve. After spending a rather long time outside playing with the pokemon, we headed inside and spent some time hanging out. I was surprised when Gary told me that Professor Oak was thinking of retiring earlier than he had intended because, according to Gary, he hadn't realized how well his grandson actually understood the workings of the lab. Gary explained this with an irritable roll of his eyes; despite his apparent annoyance, he seemed excited and rather happy that he wouldn't be traveling so much. He admitted that he had been getting sick of being by himself and that he wanted to actually settle down.

My simple response consisting of a surprised "really?" made him laugh and shake his head.

"I'm asking you to be my boyfriend, you idiot," he said calmly with a small smile.

I froze, my mind refusing to comprehend what he had just said. "Seriously?"

Gary nodded. "Six years is a long time, Ash," was his only reply.

Tracey chose that moment to pass by the room that we were sitting in so we fell silent until we knew he was gone. I met Gary's eyes and held his gaze as we waited for Tracey to pass; his eyes were serious and it was that particular observation that rendered me speechless. After all this time, he was finally officially putting aside our little wait-and-see game and I couldn't be happier.

Still unable to speak, I leaned over and kissed him softly. He was smiling again when I pulled away. "That's a yes," he observed, looking as though he was holding back a laugh.

I'm not sure how I would have made it through the next few months if we hadn't taken that huge step forward. Dating Gary forced me out of the house and into the town and the surrounding area; he all but dragged me out to the hills with several of our pokemon in tow and taunted me until I finally gave in and battled him. After that initial battle, we started doing it a few times a week until we were battling for nearly an hour every day. Looking back, I know exactly why he had dragged me out there that first time – the whole thing had been planned to get me back to my old self.

Needless to say, Gary's plan worked. With each battle, my heart seemed to heal a bit more and with each victory, I could feel my confidence building back to what it had been before Gary had handed me Umbreon's pokeball with the warning about my opponent in the Silver Conference. Of course, it wasn't all about rebuilding my confidence; I had to train the little Eevee that I had taken in. She was a fierce little creature who learned and grew quickly, her level jumping up to thirty-five within three months. It was then that Gary found a dust-coated Thunderstone in an old box that had been sitting in the lab for years.

He dusted it off and held it out to me silently with questioning eyes. My hand unconsciously rose to finger the charm that held Pikachu's ashes for a moment before I took it from him and walked over to where Eevee was playing with some of the other small pokemon. She came over as soon as she saw me and began sniffing the stone excitedly; seeming to recognize what it was, she sat down in front of it with her tail wagging. A few minutes later, she was a Jolteon and a couple of months later, she was nearly at level fifty. Another month passed and I was ready to formally return to training.

My big come back came in autumn at the Indigo League Tournament, over ten years after I had first competed there. I won with Jolteon and Gary at my sides and Pikachu's charm close to my heart, achieving a status that few trainers ever reached by winning each competition offered by all five regions along with all four Battle Frontiers.

Another three months passed and Professor Oak announced his retirement at the same time I announced my plans to challenge the Elite Four while the seven year mark passed for Gary and I. That was nearly six months ago now and things have changed drastically for everyone: Professor Oak moved to Seafoam Island for his retirement, Tracey left for Valencia Island, Gary took over the entire Pallet laboratory, and I finally went against the Kanto Elite Four and won. I reached my dream of becoming a Pokemon Master but the biggest change – and perhaps the most surprising one – was me moving into the Oak house with Gary.

I had been nervous at the time but I had since grown to realize that this was the thing that made me happiest. I've traveled much of the training world, made hundreds of friends all over, and reached my ultimate dream – I even have plans to go back to Johto to challenge the Elite Four of that region once again – but somehow none of that matters if I can't do simple things like help Gary make dinner or come in from training to be greeted by a sudden hug and kiss. Brock, Misty, and Mom had all been quick to figure out why I chose to move in with him even though our public excuse was that living at the lab made training easier for me and that Gary needed someone to help take care of such a large house.

Our current situation was a common one; me on the couch, watching the television while Gary positioned himself on the floor next to the coffee table and worked on his laptop. Usually he would play games or talk to friends online, it didn't bother me because there was usually a constant conversation between us while he did this but then there were times when he was stuck finishing up research. I hated times like that because he would become so serious that it would create a palpable tension in the room and made me long for his sarcastic remarks and little jokes that were common on other nights. Another sigh escaped him and shook me out of my thoughts as I glanced over at him once more.

"I thought you said earlier that you didn't have any work to do tonight," I pointed out quietly.

Gary's eyes shifted off of the screen to rest on me for a brief second. "I'm not working, Ash."

I groaned at that; what the hell else would he be doing to make him that serious? "Then what are you doing to make yourself so miserable?"

"Talking to my grandfather," was the deadpan reply. This surprised me as talking to his grandfather or sister usually put Gary in a good mood, unless the professor decided to suggest that Gary find a girlfriend; that type of conversation never ended well. I asked if that was what they were talking about and the initial answer I received was a bitter laugh. Gary didn't answer until I pressed on a bit more. "I'm actually trying to get him started on that but he keeps dancing around the subject."

I stared at him in confusion for a moment, trying to figure out why exactly he would try to get the professor started on a subject that he loathed. "Um, Gary, why...?"

"Because I'm going to tell him about us."

"About time," I muttered under my breath. If we had been over this once, we'd been over it a hundred times: most people already guessed the relationship between us, so why hide it? It wasn't as if Professor Oak would disown Gary. I was fairly certain that he already had suspicions about us but I kept my mouth shut to humor Gary.

"You're really not making things any easier, you know."

I rolled my eyes and flipped off the television before standing and walking over to where he was sitting. Gary looked up at me with a touch of curiosity in his eyes, as though he was wondering what I was about to do as I slipped my arms around his shoulders in a small hug. "Want me to make things easier?"

"There's nothing easy about this situation, Ash," he replied, leaning back against me with a groan.

"Keep thinking that, you big baby." Gary turned enough to shoot me a glare but I ignored it, instead turning my attention to the dialogue that was on the screen of the computer. I paused for a moment to think before reaching out to type the next message, ignoring the complaint from Gary as I did so.

"Hi, Professor. The reason we're living together is because we're dating. – Ash"

In the moment that it took the professor to respond, Gary turned to me with an incredulous look on his face. "Why would you do that?"

"You wanted to tell him," I pointed out as the response finally came up on the screen.

"I was wondering when you two were going to come out about that."

I had to fight back a laugh at the shell-shocked expression that crossed Gary's face. "Wuss," I teased softly, pressing a kiss against his cheek. "I'm going to go to bed now."

Shaking my head at Gary's lack of response, I left the room and headed upstairs towards his bedroom, passing by mine without a second thought as I was already in my pajamas and felt like sharing a bed with him tonight. I was half asleep when Gary came upstairs and slipped under the covers with me, waking me with a kiss on the forehead.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" I slurred sleepily, folding myself into his arms and nuzzling against his warm body. I felt the pillow next to me move slightly as he shook his head.

"Thanks," he whispered against my hair a moment later, causing me to smile as my eyes slid closed again.

"You're welcome," I whispered back.

Before I let sleep take me over entirely, I realized something that I had probably subconsciously noticed without thinking about it. I had thought so many times over the years that I was through with Gary, that I hated him and wanted nothing to do with him. I had loathed the wait-and-see game between us with every ounce of my being and yet, that was exactly what the relationship was no matter what. We were always waiting to see what the other would do next; who I would challenge next, what project Gary would take on, and where our feelings for each other would take us.

Everything between us was constantly changing and we were constantly waiting for the next change, watching helplessly as fate forced us to evolve. No matter what, I realized, something would always surprise me, whether it be a kiss under some mistletoe, an unexpected appearance by an old friend, or a sudden change – like Gary finally wanting to tell his grandfather about us. We'll keep evolving together until we die, it's inevitable and I think I've finally accepted that.

With that thought in mind, I cuddled closer against Gary's body and finally drifted to sleep under the impression that, no matter what happened, we would be alright because we were both strong and we could take whatever was thrown our way. After all, isn't surviving hard times a key part of evolution?

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A/N – My first Palletshipping fic is done! Yay! Thanks to everyone who read it through to the end. Please let me know what you thought about it, I'd love some feedback!

A quick note on the end of last chapter… I hated killing Pikachu! He's one of my favorite characters, especially at the beginning of the series – he's so awesome in those episodes! I did that mainly because losing someone so close to you is such a huge event and grief can have a profound effect on people and can bring them together unexpectedly. Being there for someone in their time of need shows them how much they mean to you and that's exactly what happened with Gary and Ash.

Piratepenguin666 – I'm glad to see that you liked the lack of lemon in here, truthfully, I couldn't see how it would fit the style of writing I was going for (even though I would've enjoyed writing it). Obviously the other trainer would have other types of pokemon, considering Ash only used two dark types and a dark/fire type. I didn't put a ton of thought into that but if I had made it more detailed, I would have definitely given that trainer a Jynx since they're also an ice type and a Slowking since they're a water type. I probably would've given him a strong water or ice type as well since there are a bunch of water/psychic or ice/psychic pokemon but, like I said, I didn't put much thought into it beyond the psychic types.

YukitoTsukura – Thanks for the feedback! I have a hard time with this type of perspective and it seems like I always mess up the emotions in it – another thing to practice with writing. : )

Thanks to squirtle10, inuliedelfenx, Piratepenguin666, Bob Da Peach, licoricejellybean, YukitoTsukura, Sable-eyed-lily, and Mistakesmeanslearning for reviewing. I don't think I've ever had so many people to thank in one chapter! Sorry if I forgot anyone!

If you have any suggestions for another story, let me know and I'll see what I can do. : )

Thanks for reading. ~MetalPrincess


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